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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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N. Korean Successor Likes Michael Jordan

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(Newser) – News that Kim Jong Il has settled on his youngest son as eventual successor begs the question, what's the new guy like? Details are predictably scarce, but from his days at a Swiss boarding school, where he befriended the kids of US diplomats, we know that 26-year-old Kim Jong Un speaks French and German, likes to ski, and admires Michael Jordan and Jean-Claude Van Damme, reports the Washington Post.

He reportedly left the school at age 15, having attended under a false name and pretended to be the son of an embassy driver. While in Switzerland, North Korean officials kept his socializing on a tight leash so he wouldn't be corrupted by the West. These days, he's said to be about 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, with high blood pressure and diabetes. A book written by a former chef a few years ago calls him a "spitting image of his father in terms of face, body shape, and personality," notes the Guardian.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in a 2004 file photo.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in a 2004 file photo.   (AP Photo/Japan Pool, File)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, center, in a photo released this year.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, center, in a photo released this year.   (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, File)
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Kim Jong Un is very young, too young for a smooth transition to power. He seems to need support from the military. - Hong Jung-wook, lawmaker in South Korea

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4 comments
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Lula
Jun 2, 09 6:54 PM CDT
If he is the spitting image of his father I really feel sorry fo him Reply
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Jezze
Jun 2, 09 7:53 PM CDT
i feel sorry for Michael Jordan and Jean-Claude Van Damme!! Reply
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ksu92
Jun 2, 09 9:34 PM CDT
"N. Korean Successor Likes Michael Jordan" I doubt the feeling is mutual. Reply
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+1
NutsInNY
Jun 2, 09 11:26 PM CDT
Whenever someone uses the phrase "begs the question" followed by a question, as Newser did above, it tells you straight away that the person never took a class in basic logic. (Which makes me wonder why I should take the writer seriously.) Reply
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